3 Joseph asked his brothers if his father was still alive, but they were too frightened to answer.
4 Joseph told them to come closer to him, and when they did, he said:Yes, I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt.
5 Don't worry or blame yourselves for what you did. God is the one who sent me ahead of you to save lives.
6 There has already been a famine for two years, and for five more years no one will plough fields or harvest grain.
7 But God sent me on ahead of you to keep your families alive and to save you in this wonderful way.
8 After all, you weren't really the ones who sent me here—it was God. He made me the highest official in the king's court and placed me over all Egypt.
9 Now hurry back and tell my father that his son Joseph says, “God has made me ruler of Egypt. Come here as quickly as you can.